Fate: The Original Heroes
by Merciful Idiot
Summary: And so it was that before the house of heaven, Gilgamesh and Enkidu met for the first time. For the two whom were fated to become the greatest of allies, they began as the greatest of foes. May be a little long.
1. Enkidu I

**Author's Note: **

Alright, before we begin, let it be known that Enkidu is the same one as in Fate/strange fake, while at the same time given the same skillset and properties he was said to have in Fate/Extra CCC.

Also, let it be known that I do not own Fate/stay night nor any related material.

...

No, seriously. Trust me.

Oh yeah, and before I forget, this might be a little long. It looked a lot smaller on a notepad, so uh, yeah.

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a king who reigned in Uruk. He was a king who recognized none as his equal, and thus did not recognize equality with anything else that existed in this world.

He treated all of his people as mere mongrels, and there were none that could hope to match him, for he was born of the goddess Rimat-Ninsun and the great Lugalbanda, previous ruler of Ancient Mesopotamia, making him two-thirds god and one-third man. He grew to understand that all things in the world belonged to him, that everything was his treasure alone and that none could ever hope to match him.

Under his rule, all men were to work and build whatever he wished, even when it was on but a mere whim, and all women were to yield their virginity to him before even their own lover, whether they protested or not. Under his tyranny, the land suffered, and the people cried.

The world knew his name to be **Gilgamesh**, and he was fated to one day become its very first hero.

As the gods had known what he would become from the very day he came into the world, they decided to create a being out of clay, a man who was neither perfect nor flawed, and so could equal him in strength once the time came.

Having been created with neither a mind nor a soul, this so-called 'man' went on to race across the wilderness with the animals, eating grass, uprooting traps, and attacking hunters. In an attempt to give this clay beast a form of humanity, a harlot named Shamhat—one whose beauty transcended gender—was sent to seduce and tame him, and she succeeded.

After six days and seven nights of sharing meals, sharing a bed, and making love, she turned a puppet who knew nothing of mankind into a man who knew all there was to know about the earth. From his experiences, he assumed a more human form similar to that of his partner, gained knowledge, rational thought, and most importantly, a consciousness.

On that day, he was given the name **Enkidu**, and on that night, Gilgamesh dreamed a strange dream.

When he asked his mother, she said thus:

_"There will come to you a mighty man. He is the strongest in all the land, his strength as mighty as the meteor of Aru. You shall love him and embrace him as you would a wife, and it is he whom shall save you time and time again."_

While Ninsun was baffled at how an equal could possibly match her son, he was excited at the prospect of such a person. Yet time passed, and that man did not come. Eventually, he forgot all about it.

* * *

A mysterious being stormed through the land of Mesopotamia, rushing past the rivers and past all nature around him, regardless of whatever force stood in his way.

While he had the appearance of a man, he may as well have been a woman. Judging by his soft face, lustrous skin, and a head full of hair, the first logical conclusion may very well be a woman. But his chests and hips were hidden by a worn loose cloth, and the limbs that extended out from its covers looked rather firm and taut. In its entirety, his appearance looked rather childlike, so it would be natural to think of him as either a man or a woman. Whatever the case, he definitely had a human shape. Yet even then, it was a body that was slightly discomforting, as while there was nothing visually out of the ordinary, it was simply too perfect.

Were a human to look at their own skin close enough, they would see wrinkles, minor imperfections, the stretching of skin that identified them as biological beings. But that was not the case for him, whose surface remained flat no matter how far his limbs stretched, almost like a mannequin. Ultimately, he was a paradoxical entity, neither perfect nor flawed, possessing both the impure characteristics inherent to mankind and the immaculacy inherent to nature.

For someone like this, who continued to plow through walls and mountains without even bothering to walk around them, the populace whom marveled at his figure knew only two things.

One; that he was unbearably beautiful, defying classification as either a human or a god.

Two; that something in this world had managed to garner the rage of an otherwise-pacifistic entity.

Walking down the streets of Uruk-Haven, with the populace feebly moving away to allow him passage, with a cold look on what could've been an innocent face, Enkidu was undeniably enraged.

The event to have caused such anger was simple; while he and Shamhat had been resting at a shepherds' camp, the newly-aware man tasting beer and earning praise from all around him for the first time, he learned from a passing stranger of the king's horrible mistreatment of newly-wed brides. He then asked the hierodule about this tyrannical king whom ruled broad-marted Uruk without remorse, and so was told all there was to know about him. As soon as she had finished, he disappeared off into the distance.

And for the first time, the wrath of Enkidu had been invoked.

* * *

Elsewhere, another man laughed as his people cowered in fear and knelt weakly all around him, reluctantly praising his majesty as he casually went through the plaza.

Truly, he was a man worthy of the title of 'King', defined by his unparalleled magnificence, by the freshness of his dignified stature, by the supremity of his handsome youth, and by a perfect, Golden-proportioned body that drew admiration from all those worthy enough to gaze upon him. This, combined with his shining golden hair, deep vermillion eyes, and elegant skin made all those in his presence wither away like candles to a blazing flame. Simply by looking at the radiance of his aura, it was very clear what he was—a being who possessed both the persistence of mankind and the providence of the divine, with his field of vision reaching so far and wide that not even the gods themselves could comprehend what he fixed his gaze upon.

This aura remained even when he was wrapped not in his kingly attire but in an informal white robe. It was apparent where he was heading to and what inhumane act he intended to do in order to fulfill his own 'right'. None of those around him dared protest, or stand up, or step in his way, for the last who had done so were no longer in this world, having been executed by his own hand without a second thought. Due to that, they understood that it was not bravery, but _foolishness _for anyone to stand in his way.

For someone like this, magnificent though he may be, he drew the contempt and loathing of all those in his presence. Absolutism, oppression, duress, levies, and the utmost decadence from self-interest were but a few qualities he displayed. Once, long ago when he was still young, he had been praised and lauded by his infatuated subjects, but his overwhelming strength had bred to overwhelming arrogance over time.

Still, perhaps it was this unbelievable strength of self that was to be admired. Without it, he would have abandoned his kingship and fled from the many difficult missions imposed upon him. But instead he remained in order to prove his worth and fulfill his right as the king.

As his people slowly dwindled away and a wedding ceremony not too far ahead concluded, Gilgamesh was nearing Temple of Uruk with a rather bored look—when he stopped suddenly.

In his way stood an androgynous being with green hair like that of the leaves, whom was quite apparently neither a man nor a god. Rather, 'it' was but a combination of dirt and mud, fashioned into a humanoid form and given a pathetic excuse for a rag, with twigs and dirt attached to it that suggested that he had come from the mountains.

Though Gilgamesh was heavily annoyed at the attitude of this mongrel, he decided to dismiss it for the time being, and was about to take another step forward when he heard something ringing in his ears. They seemed to be words, though that couldn't possibly be true, as there was not a being in this planet who would ever dare address him without his explicit permission lest they desire judgment. However, as he listened on to these ramblings and they did not cease, he was forced to admit that they were indeed words.

Turning his almighty gaze back to the only other form of life in his presence, when 'it' wasn't even worthy of that, it registered into his mind that 'its' mouth was moving in synch with these disrespectful, out-of-place words. As he pushed himself to look at the ugliness of this utter _mongrel_, he recognized the cold, yet enraged expression on the other's face.

"Answer me, Gilgamesh."

It was a gentle voice, yet muddled with such hatred that even the soil beneath their feet shook in fear. The ferocity was enough to have sent any sane person running for the mountains, screaming.

However, he was not concerned about that, nor did he even care. Instead, emotions of equal rage boiled in within his heart as he heard his name spoken directly. His _name, _glorious as it was, had been spojen and defiled by a non-entity unworthy of even standing in his presence.

"I did not give you permission to speak, mongrel!" Gilgamesh answered thus, in a sharp, firm voice that would have had any normal person soil their undergarments on the spot. "I shall overlook your unsightly appearance for now, but should I hear one more word come out of your mouth—"

"Gilgamesh! You have treated your people horribly, and I—Enkidu—have come to reprimand you for your actions. Should you choose to apologize for all that you've done and start anew, I may consider showing you mercy."

The words coming out of his mouth were preposterous. The golden king would have laughed had he not been so filled with annoyance.

"You say that you would reprimand me?" Gilgamesh asked in a mocking voice, his fists tightening.

"Yes," Enkidu answered without hesitation. "By my hand, I shall rectify your arrogance."

Rather than 'arrogance', perhaps Enkidu should have said 'solitude', but he could not bring himself to do so, for the King of Uruk would never in his lifetime recognize another as an equal to himself. After all, it had been that sort of attitude that had brought about his creation. His purpose was to be the unbreakable chains that would bind the divine entity and return him back into the service of the gods, when he had turned away from them. Reminding himself of this, he prepared his strength.

* * *

_And so it was that before the house of heaven, Gilgamesh and Enkidu met for the first time._

_For the two whom were fated to become the greatest of allies, they began as the greatest of foes._

* * *

Without warning, the clay puppet lashed out, his left arm taking the form of a bear as he did so with his body moving at tremendous speeds.

Due to the fact that his current form of a human was a willing one, a choice, he was very well capable of melding it into different shapes without pause, to suit whichever purpose he wished. While this may seem rather ineffective at first due to the structural inferiority of clay compared to his opponent, the material composing the entity wasn't in fact clay but merely a physical substance that resembled it, adding to Enkidu's prowess. It was something that could best be defined as highly-condensed 'Ether clumps', which was the materialization of Ether. While normally useless apart from serving as a fair conductor of prana, the gods knew how to utilize its full potential as a superior replacement to the materials that composed the grounded human beings, being capable of substituting Magic Circuits in its entirety, and converting the _Mana_ generated by the world into circulating _Od. _

The potential within Ether Clumps was virtually limitless, and the gods were well aware of this fact. It was due to those properties that Enkidu had been fashioned from it, that he could obtain sentience despite lacking components basic to a human, and that he could rival the strength of a previously-unrivaled golden demigod.

Because of this, as Gilgamesh moved to block the attack with his bare arms, convinced in his superiority and that this was a trivial matter he was about to correct, he instead found himself flying through the air like a rock. As he crashed into the ground, he sat there in a daze. It took him a passing moment to realize what just happened.

He had been overpowered.

Looking at the mongrel again, he dismissed it as nothing more than a fluke. He had held back, that was all. He had underestimated the strength of this unknown opponent, and that was the only reason his clothes had ended up dirtied, that he had allowed its filth to touch him. There was no possible way he could accept such a fact. He couldn't accept that anyone could ever be stronger than him, especially if it were to be an incompetent mongrel made of clay!

Wiping the events of the past four seconds from his mind, Gilgamesh got up, by which time Enkidu had already closed the distance in between them with the appearance and speed of a cheetah.

Gilgamesh kept a firm position, rooted into the ground in defiance of his opponent. As the imitation of a royal hunting creature leapt up towards him, he surprised it by ducking below before grabbing the skin of its underbelly and harshly shoving it into the ground below with enough force to shatter a boulder. As it hit, its form and detail broke down into a humanoid mass of clay. After allowing himself a single breath of tiredness, he held his foot up high and was about to crush the mass's 'head' when it suddenly regained its form and grabbed his ankle before throwing him into the air.

As the golden king opened his mouth to say something, he realized that Enkidu had become a large eagle and was currently rushing upwards. In haste, he opened up a pathway into his amassed treasury of the world and reached into it, bringing out the first weapon he laid his hands on. Then he swung it at the bird, and even while in the middle of the air he still had enough precision to slice through its body. It sensed the danger before he even swung and swiftly backed off, allowing him to land on his feet safely. However, just as he did, Enkidu charged at him with the shape of a human, though both of his arms had turned into dull blades.

It was quite apparent that this mysterious enemy of this was relentless in his actions. It didn't seem like he was going to give up anytime soon, no matter how futile it was disgusted at this, and clenched his hands around the weapon he'd taken out. The fact that he had to sully a treasure of his against such a being at all was nothing but an insult to his pride, but what choice did he have but to do so?

Needless to say, Enkidu was equally disgusted. The king had turned out every way he had imagined him to be, remaining arrogant even as he faced an unfamiliar opponent. The gods were proven right in their thoughts, and this man deserved whatever fate came for him.

As twin swords came down on the king, he parried them both with his own sword, using more strength than necessary. However, as quickly as he did so, they bent unnaturally and swung back towards him, scraping past his blade and heading straight for his chest. Since they were extensions of Enkidu's body and possessing properties unlike that of ordinary swords, he was capable of controlling them like he would his own two arms, and thus needed no formal training in this form of combat in order to match and defeat a trained swordsman.

But even though Enkidu's move had been something that shouldn't be been able to be blocked, Gilgamesh revealed a second sword from his treasury and deflected them both once again, this time taking the extra effort to trap his enemy's clay arm-swords between his two blades so that he wouldn't be able to pull off the same trick as before. However, the green-haired puppet suddenly separated away as he severed the link with his arms, putting a distance of about six meters, and regenerating two new grey blades out of his shoulders during this time. The white rag he wore was in tatters by then, and his detached limbs turned into a liquid substance on the spot.

Though he had absolutely no doubt of his victory, Gilgamesh knew that he may have to start putting serious effort into this battle. It was something he had never done before. Having faced far weaker opponents his whole life, this level of strength was something that was unfamiliar to him. But no matter what, he was still superior. There were none on this planet that could match him—though, faced with such an annoyingly persistent opponent, he couldn't help but doubt it a little.

With a grunt, Gilgamesh swept the thought away as he gripped his two swords tightly. This time, in this next series of blows, he affirmed to himself that he would demonstrate just how superior he was. No matter how many millenniums passed, there was not a being in existence that could hope to ever match his level of strength.

_"Foolish king—!"_

Enkidu was the first to lash out, charging towards his opponent with a feral look as he slashed forth with his limbed blades, as if they were the claws of a hungry tiger.

_"STUPID MONGREL—!"_

A prepared Gilgamesh countered in turn with elegantly-designed swords, slashing forth not with the intent of defending himself but with the intent of overpowering his opponent through sheer technique and speed.

Even though his weapons were of a different balance compared to Enkidu's perfect harmony with his clay constructions, it didn't seem to inconvenience him in the slightest as he successfully parried every coming attack, and very time he did, he would then retaliate with a barrage of his own every time he saw what appeared to be an opening. Although, every time his assumption would turn out to be false, and he would be pushed into the defensive for about a split second by this unpredictable, beastly fighter. As they continued to launch extremely powerful attacks at each other, he couldn't help but admit that there was a strange feeling beginning to grow inside of his chest. An unfamiliar sensation, and for one who had experienced all the pleasures of the world, it was certainly something new.

Perhaps it was because no matter how hard he tried or how much force he put into his attacks, he was unable to break through the clay man's feral movements. It was proving to be a laborious task, and this was frustrating him.

Though he was not the only one in that regard. Enkidu barely managed to maintain an assault based purely on his beastial instincts, but against someone like this who possessed a perfect combination of godlike strength and human ingenuity, there were little to no gaps in his opponent's movements. The only reason he hadn't been cut down already was due to his superior reaction time and the high amounts of prana he had collected along the way. While it would be possible to overpower his opponent by pouring more of his clay into boosting his attack force, it was a risky move, and if it failed by any means, he would end up more vulnerable than before.

Unable to break through the demigod's prowess and refined techniques, all he could do was sustain his stance and attacks.

Thus, the two combatants were locked in combat this way, each unable to gain an edge over the other.

Sparks were lit up and gusts of wind were sent rippling throughout the air each time they threw yet another ferocious attack, the very ground shaking each time their strikes collided with one other. Were there to be anyone observing this battle close by, they would see only shimmering blurs of radiant gold and forest green and mistake them for a natural disaster. This was assuming, of course, that they hadn't already been destroyed by the sheer force resulting from the attacks that the duo kept unleashing against each other, oblivious of their surroundings.

If Gilgamesh's strikes were like a raging tsunami, then Enkidu's were like a hurricane that continually pushed the surge back.

Suddenly, a smug look appeared on Gilgamesh's face as he saw a wide opening and moved his right sword in order to parry the attacks, thereby allowing his left to bypass the clay man's defense completely and instantly cut him down from shoulder to hip before any counterattack could occur. It was a simple maneuver, one that even a beginner could perform were he fast enough, yet effective. With his power and unmatched quality of weapons, his opponent's fate had been predetermined in that split second!

However, one result he didn't foresee happening—happened.

Despite its high-grade quality of which he ascertained himself when he had collected it and stored it into the Golden Capital, and despite the fact that no amount of clay in the world could hope to even _graze_ anything that truly belonged to the king's treasury, he was left in a state of shock as one of his two golden swords shattered into pieces upon smashing against a clay axe.

Metal shards scraped past his right cheek, allowing a tiny trickle of his divine blood to flow down, and a bladeless hilt remained in his hand as undeniable proof.

Fate had been overcome.

Even so, from Enkidu's perspective, it hadn't been the effortless task it appeared to be at first.

Upon realizing that he had made a very vital mistake by putting slightly too much force into a single direction, it was too late as Gilgamesh had taken the opportunity to home in with a strike possessing enough force to smash a building apart. And so in response, he had to pour more of his substance into his other weapon, increasing its density, reinforcing it as much as he could within what milliseconds he had, even shaping it into an axe. The result was that he ended up overcoming a weapon that had been made never to be overcome, overturning the future in the process.

However, it came at a cost. His reinforced axe-arm absorbing the entire force, it ended up being blown away along with the one-fifteenth of clay he had used to reinforce it.

Even if it was still quite a lot by the standards of mere mortals, every ounce counted in this battle. Ether clumps, once separated from the main body, lost their connection to the soul and could no longer properly even if reattached. This didn't mean that the lost substances couldn't be replaced, but while he naturally gained it by absorbing in Ether from his surroundings, it was a relatively slow process, and would hardly make a difference in the midst of battle.

Not only that, but he risked invoking the wrath of the king. Had he chosen to stay hidden from the start, instead choosing to fire a clay arrow of high intensity at his opponent's heart while he wasn't paying attention, this battle may have never come to be. But something like that was no longer possible for Enkidu. All that was left at this point was pushing onward. He could not even begin envision what lay at its end.

"I- impossible!"

Letting out a cry of disgust at a treasure of his having been tarnished, an event that up until that point had never happened before in human history, Gilgamesh dropped the remains and forcefully thrust his other sword forward with all his might at Enkidu's chest, only for it to sink into and end up trapped inside a liquid substance.

"You have mistreated your people badly," Enkidu intoned, taking a step forward with the blade still within him.

To the demigod's surprise, he found himself being pushed back, yet he didn't let go of his treasure's hilt out of stubbornness.

"I am the answer to their pleas, and I am the one who shall rectify that arrogance of yours!"

"So the gods still believe that I will bow down to them?"

Gilgamesh scoffed at these words as he continued to try and pull his weapon out, while glaring at Enkidu directly.

"I thought I would allow you to humor me for a little while, but this changes things. Very well then. As king, I shall crush you where you stand, and show the gods just how futile their mission is!"

"Oh? Do you not understand?"

Enkidu returned the glare with a determined look.

"We are equal, King of Uruk, and that is why you cannot hope to defeat me!"

The world stopped.

_—cannot defeat, you say__—_? 

It was a daring statement, surely a false one, equivalent to claiming something as idiotic as _'I can stop the sun with my bare hands'._ It wasn't something he would've normally paid any heed to, yet it still weighed upon the mind of the great Gilgamesh.

_—EQUAL__—_?

To a being greater than human, being told this by a being less than human, it was something that he had trouble understanding. To Gilgamesh, who had perfect victories, these were foreign concepts that he had never experienced before. Having been faced with such an unexpected event, such a persistent and powerful entity, he didn't know what to think, what to feel. As he continued to stand in front of this androgynous forest-haired humanoid, his heart was beginning to beat fast, faster and faster, his fists clenching, his muscles tightening, his emotions rising, and his thoughts spiraling outwards until_…_

"You_—_some clod of mud, **equal to****_ ME?!"_**

Was it with surprise or anger that he reacted against encountering an equal for the first time?

Abandoning his other sword much to his disgust, Gilgamesh swiftly retreated back and managed to create about ten meters of distance between them, which would give both combatants enough time to prepare for their next move_—_enough time meaning 'one second'. As much as he hated to even think about it, it was dangerous to battle against this 'Enkidu' character in close combat, so he would have to figure out some other way to achieve victory. The fact that he had to switch strategies at all would've been a great disgrace, but he had long since gotten past the point of hatred and disgust by then.

Opening the Gate of Babylon much wider than he would normally, positioned vertically downwards, he focused and let a particularly large, golden and alien object not unlike an ark fall from above. It crashed heavily into the ground before Gilgamesh.

_What is that?_ Enkidu asked himself. _A boat? _

At first, he had difficulty trying to comprehend what it was that his opponent had brought forth.

It had the overall shape of a boat or ark, but there was no way such a structure would ever be practical as it was composed of pure gold, an alloy which was heavy and could never float on top of water, let alone the fact that there wasn't any sea nearby to use it with! Even so, he knew better than to underestimate the danger of everything that lay within the demigod's treasury, and after getting over his initial confusion, had his arms turn into lances as he rushed forth and crossed the distance between him and the huge object. If it was some kind of weapon, then he would destroy it on the spot.

But he acted a split second too late, as the king had already rested upon its throne, the one that acted as the control panel to what must've been the most advanced chariot in the entire world.

As Gilgamesh activated it, its emerald flaps opened up into something that resembled wings, and glowed brightly before suddenly rocketing off the ground, lifting itself up into the air and harmlessly escaping the reach of the clay being. Though it was bizarre to think of a self-moving chariot without any kind of beast to pull it, it was indeed gaining its energy to fly about from somewhere. To be more specific, it was powered by a single solar crystal at its center_—_protected by rutilated quartz crystals and an emerald-encrusted core around it_—_which burned mercury as fuel and produced sunlight as energy to act as the catalyst for flight. It also traveled at the speed of thought, enabling it to effortlessly go at a hundred meters per second without any consequences for the rider in question. There was no creature in the world that could ever hope to stand up to this unique, shining ship.

Gilgamesh couldn't quite remember its name, perhaps something along the lines of Vimana, but he understood it to be some sort of aerial contraption unlike anything else that currently existed in this time.

Soaring into the skies until the king had emerged beyond the clouds, believing himself to be out of reach of any arrow or bird, he rested his hands upon the control column in front of the throne he sat upon and accessing the advanced weaponry it contained. Tons of small slots automatically opened up at the lower front-end of the Vimana and thin barrels emerged from all of them, Gilgamesh aiming them downwards.

His intent was obvious; he would raze the ground, but not to such a destructive extent that he would damage any of his buildings or people. The range it would cover was just enough, covering the distance between the temple and Uruk-Haven, and at such a height, enhanced by gravity and unmatched technological weaponry, there was no way that anything could survive being caught within it.

It was quite clear that this divine treasure was not originally meant to be controlled by anything less than the hands of a god, and surely something made of mud wouldn't be able to withstand its might.

"You made a bold statement, oh Enkidu," he muttered under his breath.

For anyone who opposed the king so, it was only natural to have them suffer a hopeless, humiliating defeat under his might. All beings that exist, _have_ existed, and _will_ exist within this world lack the necessary power or will to resist his might, and this was a fact engraved into the heart of the world. They could protest, they could scream, and they could protest all they like. In the end, there was only one result when faced with his glorious might.

Still, he couldn't help but just a little bit dissatisfied at how this 'battle' was so obviously going to conclude.

"But you were unwise to face me, the almighty _Gilgamesh!_"

Then, with a single command, each and every one of the barrels fired all at once, and didn't stop.

Torrents of golden projectiles rained down at hypersonic speeds, showering every last inch of the barren ground below within a hundred-meter radius. Every bird and every worm and every tiny strand of grass caught were eradicated without a second thought, and even the very dirt and dust themselves were being razed. Being continuously fired at a maintained pace, the constant stream of bullets beautifully reflected off the sunlight, and it would've looked like pleasant glitter instead of utter destruction from a distance. Nothing but the most powerful of phantasmal beasts could've survived that. After about half an hour had passed, he removed his hands from the panel and called off the barrage.

It ended just as quickly as it began.

The deed having been done, Gilgamesh sighed as he tried to relax into his throne, the heavy winds cooling down his magnificence at such height. Though it was slightly embarrassing, his body had gone stiff after having been tensed up the whole time he was razing the surface. After a bit of thought, the use of this mechanical vehicle may have been too extreme, and he may have overestimated Enkidu just a little too much. All the clay man did was shatter what was most likely a fragile sword in the first place, so it was pointless to have gotten all worked up about that. After all, all mongrels were mongrels, and he took some to reaffirm himself of this belief.

"There." He let out to nobody in particular, his voice lost in the air. "It is done."

. . .

_Hm? What was that?_

For a second, the king thought he heard some kind of sound coming from far below, perhaps a scream or a roar, but dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination.

Chances were that his agitation against meeting such a mudman was messing with his head, and he racked his brain to rid himself of this disorder.

_**"GGRAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH—!"**_

Then a gigantic dragon emerged from the clouds, coating the floating Vimana in a sudden, intense stream of flames.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

This was originally going to be a one-shot, but apparently, the awesomeness that is Gilgamesh and Enkidu cannot be contained into a single chapter. Instead, it'll be two...or maybe three.

If anyone asks how I'm going to stretch out such a colossal battle over a few days, I have absolutely no idea. I mean, I could, but I'd probably bore any readers as it drags on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on, so maybe I'll fade to black once all their abilities have been fully showcased and skip straight to the climax days later.

And if anyone asks, no, Gilgamesh doesn't have Ea. I think that was the crystallization of his legend, or at the very least, something granted only after his death. I mean, if he did have it, then he would've been able to solo Humbaba or the Bull of Heaven without any trouble.

Speaking of which, it might be fun to write about those battles too.

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Well, if you liked it, then please review~ I love getting those things. It makes me feel all giddy and stuff. Thanks :D


	2. Enkidu II

**Author's Note: **To my weird but grateful surprise, it seems that people actually liked the longy-ness of the previous chapter, so I kept this one just as long. Hope I didn't go too overboard here. Once again, it looked shorter on a notepad.

Enjoy!

* * *

The world around him lit up brightly, and as Vimana's defenses kicked in to generate a force-field against the intense wave of fire, Gilgamesh couldn't help but remember a 'conversation' with a lowly peasant from not too long ago.

...

It was when a trapper stood before him, speaking of a mysterious beast of clay that interfered with his every catch, and no matter what he attempted, it would always end up with failure. He wasn't the first to tell of such a thing, nor was he the first to request that the leader lend his unmatched strength in order to defeat the beast. In any normal circumstance, he would have forgotten like all the others.

However, it was how he ended his explanation that brought about the attention of such a divine being. He dared to claim that this mere creature, should it ever unleash its wrath, was capable of exceeding the unfathomable, almighty strength of the King of Uruk whom ruled the nation. And because of this ridiculous rumor that spread like wildfire, many others abandoned their lands under the belief that it was a hopeless cause, that the beast was a monster of the gods who was capable of devouring the sun should it so desire.

It was true that the king had sent soldiers to investigate this matter more than once, and none had returned, so the one responsible did possess _some_ kind of power, but it couldn't possibly have come close to his.

After having continually explained and begged on his knees for a total of thirty seconds, the peasant said, "My king, I beg of you! Defeat this creature and prove your power to all the people of Uruk!"

Having remained silent for all this time, patiently listening to these crazed, single-minded pleas which went on and on without stop, that was the last straw. With his amazing foot, he tore the air out of the groveling man in a single strike and had him collapse onto the ground with a whimper. It was quite possible that the man would no longer be able to speak or breathe properly after something like that.

"You dare ask me to prove that which is already obvious? You dare expect me to have a contest of strength with this beast of which you speak? Such complete nonsense! Get out of my sight immediately!"

With absolute faith in his own might, convinced of the undeniable fact that there was not a single person who could ever exist and be stronger than he the king, his answer was as obvious as his magnificence and strength. This was how Gilgamesh dismissed all that appeared before him with an unreasonable request.

* * *

No. It was not possible. Even now, it was not possible.

When the torrent finally stopped, Gilgamesh believed that the dragon had given up in attempting to penetrate the golden ship's defenses. Stepping up from his throne, he drew a long sickle-sword from the Gate of Babylon. Since it was apparent that stabbing Enkidu would achieve nothing more than the loss of yet another one of his treasures, he would have to rely upon a slicing weapon instead. The sappara he was holding allowed for the efficient transfer of energy through the blades, enabling easy amputation for almost anything, even a gigantic Phantasmal Beast. Although, it was surprising to know that his opponent could transform into a form so large and advanced.

So high up, it took only three seconds for the heavy winds to blow away the smoke and reveal to both combatants the other. Then a humanoid form flew towards him with angelic wings on his back and a lance protruding from his right arm. Upon stabbing it onward with amazing power, the invisible barrier shattered apart as the clay successfully penetrated through it. The demigod was not surprised this time, and even as the winds instantly brushed all throughout the floor of the flying vehicle, he barely noticed as he slashed forth with his treasure.

Of course, the disadvantage of using slashing weapons was plain and clear. Since they were traditionally vulnerable to weapons that use a thrusting attack, such as a rapier or lance, it would allow for a distinct opening from the enemy. Enkidu, seeing this rather blatant opening, took it and thrust forth as he darted past the king's slash with speed boosted by wings.

But it was here that Gilgamesh had an advantage to negate his disadvantage. While Enkidu relied on instinct in battle, Gilgamesh relied on tactics and rational thought, and it was this ability to predict the decisions his opponent might make that he would overcome him!

Revealing a shield from behind his back, held within his free hand, the lance ended up being blocked as they deflected off of each other. It was all he needed, as he moved in to cut apart half the lance with his sickle-sword. Even though Enkidu would be quick to form another point, a golden ripple in space formed straight above it in order to respond to this. Therefore, despite the fact that he only had two arms and both had been used up to create an opening, the ability to access the treasury was something wholly dependent upon his desires, and it was this which would allow him to surpass his human body.

From this range, Gilgamesh had a split-second of opportunity to slice off his enemy's shoulder by thrusting down a sword projected directly from the Gate of Babylon.

However, at that window of time, whilst Enkidu could not possibly dodge that which was to come, he spoke a single 'word'.

It was of the original speech of the world, the 'truth' spoken before the gods took it away from mankind. It possessed the ability to carry the direct meaning across to others instead of hiding it under the guise of letters and sound movements in such a way that anything was capable of understanding it, and in a time where people had forgotten about its existence, their inferior words would be undeniably conquered by the 'truth' of the Unified Language, forcing them to obey it lest they reject their own existence.

And although the will of Gilgamesh was such that he possessed his own truth, enabling him to reject its meaning through the force of his own, perhaps he should have paid attention to the meaning of the 'word' that was spoken. Had he not been so lost in the midst of combat, he would have then realized the advantage which Enkidu possessed—namely, that he was not alone, as meaning of the word he had spoken meant _'come, friend'_.

**_"RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—! "_**

Inches away from his opponent's upper arm, their great battle was interrupted by a massive dragon that came out of nowhere, ramming its body into the Vimana without subtlety or remorse.

_What—?!_

His mind barely processing his information, he came to a realization; namely, that Enkidu and the dragon were two entirely separate entities, the latter most likely a summoned monster. Within that extremely tiny gap in time as his strike continued, he chastised himself for making such a simple mistake.

What happened earlier was that when Gilgamesh escaped in his Vimana, Enkidu used that time to prepare a ritual that brought forth a powerful dragon to aid him in battle, and he hid under its powerful scales so as to survive the wide hail of bullets. After waiting for half an hour, he and the dragon instantly rushed into action, and although he did manage to take Gilgamesh off-guard, he found to his dismay that the vehicle had a superbly-powerful defense mechanism.

Then the platform tipped over from the impact, Gilgamesh's strike missed and he stumbled past his opponent, nearly going over the edge until he stabbed his sword down into the platform and gripped onto the hilt tightly, preventing himself from going off. Not that he wasn't capable of surviving the fall, but he would be left far too vulnerable in midair.

Looking up as the golden ship had ended up floating sideways, Gilgamesh's vermillion eyes locked onto Enkidu, whose lower legs had melted into a more clay-like appearance that attached directly onto the vertical surface, preventing his own fall. Past the long hair that flowed downwards, the king's gaze was met with a sharp, emerald glare, as was to be expected.

Above them, the dragon soared, stalking the airborne ark as if it were some kind of prey. It had a gigantic figure covered in thick, sparkling ruby scales, and it had sharp spikes running along its back and horns on its head. Observing it closer, it appeared to be of a magical nature but nothing divine or godlike. Assuming that it must be of the Phantasmal class, Gilgamesh concluded that it shouldn't take too much effort to take down. At most, it was a distraction to the battle, and would have to be taken care of as swiftly as possible lest it interrupt again at another crucial moment.

Throwing away his shield, the king threw himself up before placing his feet onto the sword's side, effectively using it to stand upright thousands of feet up in the air. The collision had sent the Vimana onto a rapid trajectory heading eastwards. Any normal human would've long since suffocated due to the extremely high currents, or fallen due to the lack of support, or frozen up due to the lack of warmth, but did the perfect magnificence of this being even need to be reminded at this point? Then, now that he had a surface, he drew out another sword from his treasury just in time to stab it into an Enkidu-turned-bear that was about to pounce upon him.

"Did you honestly believe that a dragon would make any difference?" Gilgamesh asked the struggling beast-man penetrated above him, before tossing its body away into the winds along with his own treasure.

Upon disappearing into the clouds, the only thing that flew back up was an eagle with green eyes. It was fast approaching the Vimana despite the huge amounts of air resistance that opposed it. Still, the time it would take for Enkidu to return to the ark was more than enough for Gilgamesh to take care of the dragon.

Having managed to climb up towards the control panel, the man in question rested his hand upon it and sent a mental command. Instantaneously, the Vimana tilted over into the other direction and fixed its position, allowing him to stand properly again—though not for long. The force-field was no longer active, and if he didn't do anything within the next five seconds, he may very well be roasted alive. The dragon had been spending its time generating mana to use create anoter fiery wave, and it wouldn't be long now until such a thing came to be. Flapping its wings, it came closer to the ark and began opening up its mouth.

Gilgamesh reaching out both of his hands, he drew out a shining bow and arrow from his treasury and went into a well-posed position. He had no time to bother with a mere dragon.

But do not be mistaken. A dragon on its own was very special and unique no matter what class it was, and to this day they are considered the very pinnacle of all Phantasmal species. Its scales alone were denser than titanium, its lungs were composed of spiritual reality marbles, and its heart substituted by a beating Magic Core that replaced the puny Magic Circuits human beings possessed. Just by breathing, it could generate enough prana to exceed the total capacity of a hundred trained magi. Though the energy requirement for flight was extremely high, most of the prana were channeled into the wings to make up for this, and still it posed a gigantic threat due its most feared weapon—a dragon's breath. Categorized elementally, it was said that a single wave was enough to wipe out an entire army.

This particular dragon had a nature of fire, and that the Vimana managed to withstand the flames for as long as it did was a testament to its advanced nature.

Therefore, the notion that even the legendary Gilgamesh himself could take out a dragon as quickly as he planned it to be, was a laughable one, for even a human being at the very pinnacle of their skillset would not be capable of surpassing an extension of nature that existed aside from both nature and intelligence.

Still the king remained unwavering. Though he could have chosen a throwing spear, he had taken out a bow and arrow for a reason. His skill as an archer was not to be underestimated—in fact, it could be said that this was his true skill, and that swordsmanship and any other talent he may possess were mere decorations compared to it. Even if he lacked proper training in this art, his talent at precision and aiming far surpassed all others, such that he could even hit a moving target on a shaking platform in the middle of a heavy sky.

But even though this was what he was best at, he actually despised using a bow and arrow. Once, when the king was but an innocent young prince, he demonstrated his talent at archery in front of his mother. Upon showing his practically-godlike skill, she commended him and said that this talent of his far encompassed everything else he was capable of. But instead of being excited, he was horrified to know that the seemingly-perfect talent he possessed for every known activity could be overshadowed. That was something he could never allow.

However, he would make an exception, just this once. The flying monster before him seemed like good target practice anyhow.

"Dumb beast," began Gilgamesh, pulling back an elegantly-weaved string with the arrow on it, "do you have any last words?"

The only response came in the form in a mocking roar, the dragon opening up its jaws to reveal multiple sets of pearl-like fangs and a dark abyss behind them, which were quickly engulfed in a surging inferno that spread out through the sky, onto the ship and towards the demigod himself.

"Very well."

Then he let go, having a specific course in mind. The result of this confrontation needn't be said, for it was obvious that there were none in this world to match him. Darting forth like lightning, the arrow effortlessly overcame all air resistance, dived through the mass of flames, successfully reached the mouth, penetrated deep through the throat while bypassing its thick scales, entering into a volcanic reality marble, and had just enough force remaining to pierce into the Magic Core that was supposed to have been secluded from the outside world, before shattering it into pieces.

Its 'heart' having been destroyed at that moment, this combined with the magic and fire inside the dragon's body caused a chain reaction that ultimately had it disappear into a huge explosion of prana, the king barely escaping by having his damaged Vimana outrun it. Nuclear fission almost, but did not occur.

Due to his arrogance to wait until the last moment, the dragon's flames had managed to melt away at the front section of the once awe-inspiring golden ark. Gilgamesh felt insulted at this, but he knew that he wouldn't have much time left to think about this until his true opponent reappeared. In order to prepare for it, he swerved his hands over the controls and activated all available weaponry. As if preparing for war instead of a one-on-one duel, exotic machines came out of every single compartment on the vehicle that hadn't been melted away.

"Yet again, you have insulted the gods!"

All of a sudden, a dull spike burst out of the panel, being quickly followed by a green-haired figure whom tore it apart as he emerged from the inside. All of the options now rendered inoperable, the Vimana was left a sitting duck. And before a surprised Gilgamesh could replace his bow with another weapon, Enkidu's clay engulfed his hands and hardened, trapping them.

"Admit defeat! You can no longer escape from me!"

Gilgamesh's only response was an amused look.

All of a sudden, the Vimana flipped over, throwing off both combatants into the middle of the sky, letting them fall far below. And just as a surprised Enkidu attempted to turn into an eagle and escape, he found his figure being wrapped tightly in the king's surprisingly warm arms, trapping his position. The strength being used on him was more than enough to crush a dragon's neck, but he managed to harden his body beyond that point to survive. Their faces were right next to each other, so he next attempted to shatter his opponent's skull by throwing his head forward, but he was met with equal force and ended up having his forehead locked in combat as well.

"Do not expect me to give up!"

Colors of gold and emerald plunging through the air, both trying to crush the other while doing so, Gilgamesh yelled to him a strange thing.

"And do not expect me to try and run, for I am the King of Uruk, and I expect you to do the same! Enkidu, I hereby acknowledge you as a powerful combatant. However, let it be known that it is I whom shall be the ultimate victor!"

With only moments left, Enkidu understood the meaning of his words, and declared in response;

"Gilgamesh, you are wrong, for it is I whom shall triumph over you!"

Then after falling from extreme heights, both legendary warriors crashed into the ground and caused a gigantic crater to open up, such that any outsider would have mistaken it for the crash site of a dense meteor, tiny flames licking at the dirt. A large cloud of dust was thrown upwards, covering the surroundings for a short while.

While Gilgamesh was slightly disorientated for a few seconds, Enkidu was not. Although he had lost another ton of Ether clumps in the fall, he still had plenty left over and took this opportunity to escape out from the crater. As soon as he had recovered, Gilgamesh got up to his feet. His clothes had been tarnished in such a way that they barely hung around his lower body now, and there were scrapes all over his skin along with a minor wound caused by the fall. They would heal quickly enough, but he was aware that he may very well get a lot more if this opponent was nearly as powerful as he was.

But just as he was opening up the Gate of Babylon again, assuming that the dust around him would act as a temporary cover, a huge tree came flying from above at a speed contradictory to its size, fast enough to match that of a fired projectile.

Reacting on instinct to the unexpected assault, the two swords that he had been about to summon shot forth, tearing through it straight before it could crush his head. Though he knew that it'd been necessary, he couldn't help but feel disgusted at having to use his treasures in such a way.

Heading out of the crater, Gilgamesh saw that he was within an ancient forest, and found himself met by two more gigantic projectiles rushing towards him. Now that he was thinking clearly, he easily dodged them—only for about four more to come out from different angles. Drawing out two swords from his treasury, he used them to cut through each and every one of them before they could hit.

While he did, he could hear a voice from afar yelling out 'words', and by listening to them, it seemed that Enkidu was commanding all the wildlife in the area to run as far away as possible. As a gazelle appeared and tried to go past him, ignoring his presence, and so its head was abruptly sliced off. Animal or not, those whom did not pay respect to the king suffered such a fate.

A moment later, Enkidu himself appeared from behind a tree, uprooted it, and fired it at Gilgamesh like a weightless arrow, all within less than a split second before rushing towards another and doing the same. The speed this was being performed at was tremendous, and the golden king had very little time to stop as he continued to counter his blades. As the projectiles grew more and more numerous, the forest area directly around him being cleared away, debris of leaves and wood were beginning to pile around him and make it harder for him to counter and move about, to the point that both of his blades had shattered.

On the other hand, Enkidu was having no such difficulties. As nature was his original environment and the spirit of the forest continued to obey him, trees uprooted themselves as he wished and flung themselves forth, while boosting his own strength and speed. It wasn't exactly pretty to sacrifice so many, but he was certain that this was for a noble cause. Darting from tree to tree, having them fire themselves at the king, he watched on as his opponent began to reach his limits. Unlike him, this man had human blood running in his veins, and as long as they did, he would eventually overexert his muscles.

"Are you getting tired, King of Uruk?!" Enkidu asked mockingly, his voice echoing throughout the forest.

"Is that an insult, King of Stupid Beasts?!" Gilgamesh responded, and this angered him so much that when the next, even wider wave of trees came, he took them all down by firing weapons straight from his Gate of Babylon, effectively throwing them away.

Most of the area around him had become a grassy flatland with quite a lot of holes at this point, the sky having turned red with the sun going over the horizon, and his opponent was much further away from before, having used up all the nearby trees. Half a mile away, what faced Gilgamesh was a forest wall. Also, judging by the passing silence, Enkidu quite probably planned on launching them all at once for one last, prolonged assault, and thus needed a bit more time to do so.

That assumption was entirely correct. Having retreated far enough that he would have time to prepare for a mass-scale attack, the green-haired being went to work in convincing the spirits of the forest to obey his order, so that they would sacrifice themselves for him. Sharing the same tongue as nature made this a simple enough task, and once it was done, he would have the power to take on an army. It seemed excessive to use this on a single man, however, it was necessary. At the very least, one thing was for certain.

There was no way in heaven or hell that Gilgamesh would be able to defend from all that with the human limitations that he possessed.

No. He would have to rely upon the Gate of Babylon, now more than ever. All that time he had spent collecting the wealth and prizes of the world, all that time he had dedicated into filling up his golden capital, it had all been for this one moment. If Enkidu was willing to toss around his prized trees of nature in order to defeat his opponent, then Gilgamesh too must be willing to toss around his prized treasures of mankind in order to defeat his opponent.

_"Spirits of the forest—follow my order,"_ invoked Enkidu.

_"Gate of Babylon—open," _invoked Gilgamesh.

Just as the many trees in his sight all began to rise up into the air by themselves, Gilgamesh let golden ripples appear behind him. First one, then seven, then thirty, he tried his best to have the number of gateways outnumber the trees that Enkidu had. Afterwards, by using his skill at aiming, he would cut down every single tree until there were none left, which would leave his beastly friend wide open. It was annoying to think of trees and treasures as equal, but in this particular case, it could not be helped.

Then, both the demigod king and the clay man thrust their arms out in perfect synchronization, and the greatest single clash in human history followed, weapons and trees of all types firing at each other in a wide, vast craze, each and every one penetrating and shattering the other. The very air between them was torn asunder as they continued to exchange destruction in this matter, both of the combatants refusing to give up and continuing to push onwards.

This 'war that was not carried out by human beings' was dependent upon one sole factor; which side possessed the more 'soldiers'. Was it the treasury, or was it the forest?

* * *

Many hours later, when the sky had become dark and filled with stars, and the full moon was lit dimly above them, the answer was clear.

The many weapons and artifacts that Gilgamesh had spent his younger years searching for greatly surpassed the many trees that a natural forest of the world could grow. In other words, the treasury was greater, and an empty barren plain surrounded the triumphant king. But despite his victory, he looked a little worried about the many treasures of his that had been scattered about, and also disappointed, for some strange reason.

"I have won, Enkidu," he concluded while drawing out a gold sword from his treasury, with a growing trace of boredom in his tone. "Half the day has passed since we began this fight, and I would like to take a rest in acknowledgment of this. It is obvious that we are both exhausted. Therefore, reveal yourself and let us finish this!"

"Do not dismiss me so easily," came the voice of his opponent from behind.

Having expected it, Gilgamesh turned around and swung his sword, only for it to be deflected with ease by_…_a gigantic tree that Enkidu was holding? Upon closer examination, it looked to have taken on a silvery look after being infused with his clay. So even now, he still had more tricks up his sleeve? He gave his opponent a confused glance, which his opponent calmly returned.

"You said that you are exhausted, Gilgamesh? That is a lie, and I know it!" Enkidu stated, and swung the massive tree again like a medium-sized club.

This time, Gilgamesh jumped back instead of attempting to deflect it, since it was obviously too strong for a single weapon to handle alone.

"It seems that I have to remind you_—you and I are equal, and if I must, I am prepared to fight you for seasons without end, if it means that you are to be defeated!"_

As though a healing spell had been cast upon him, Gilgamesh's body relaxed suddenly. But of course. If this being were truly equal to him, then there was no reason to hide his true strength. When in battle, he'd been taught to appear slightly tired and conserve his energy in order to pay respect to his opponent and to preserve the illusion that he too had limits similar to those of humans. But now, here was a rare opportunity for him to throw those false ideals away. Upon learning of this, any desire to conserve what remained of his treasury disappeared.

How rare was it for something like this to occur?

Without holding back, without limiting himself?

In fact, where did his true limit lie?

And, would this Enkidu that stood before him be able to take it all? Would he?

Would he be able to take in the pinnacle of the King's strength?

"How persistent!" Gilgamesh remarked loudly, unaware that a genuinely large grin had grown on his face.

"How arrogant!" Enkidu responded in kind, shaking his head.

After that, not a single word was spoken. One combatant opened up his treasury and the other accessed his storage of clay, both preparing to fight like never before.

What had transpired in the past twelve hours was but the beginning of a very, very long battle that would eventually dictate the fate of the entire world, for these were the original heroes, and nothing else that came after could ever hope to compare to the distant heights that they reached.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

No, this isn't the end, not quite yet~ There'll be a Chapter 3 detailing the end of the battle, and I'm undecided whether to leave this there or turn it into a proper fanfiction that'll cover the rest of the Fate-style Epic of Gilgamesh, well . . . plus plenty of yaoi implications. Gilgy and Enki are still pretty alienated from each other right now, but as you can see, they're starting to warm up to each other through battle.

And to answer PChesire's question, don't they technically already become a pair in the real Epic? xD

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So, if you enjoyed it, then I'd appreciate it if you review~ I really do love getting those things, you know. ^^ Thanks for reading!


	3. Enkidu III

**Author's Note:** Well, this chapter flowed out pretty easily~ enjoy!

* * *

Without hesitation, without restraint, they threw themselves at each other. Whether it was in the skies, beneath the seas, or through the mountains, they went on and on, their surroundings and sense of time disappearing away into a blur. All the time, the very earth beneath their feet continually rumbled at their sheer display of power, terrified by these beings who answered to none.

And finally, after clashing together in this fierce battle for days and nights without end, he the demigod king known as **Gilgamesh** and he the clay puppet known as **Enkidu** had finally reached their limits.

The battle—in the ruins of the battlefield known as 'the world', whose victory did it end with?

Gilgamesh had at last emptied his final vault, with thousands upon thousands of his precious treasures having been wasted and scattered about the land, and it would take a month at the very least to recover them all again. He was exhausted beyond belief, his body tired and covered in wounds that were not easily healing. Even the slightest of movements brought about the greatest of pain. Barely able to keep himself together, he must have looked quite pathetic.

As for Enkidu, he had lost a total of nine-tenths of his clay, with thousands upon thousands of Ether clumps having been used up and disposed of, and it would take a month at the very least to fully regenerate it all, let alone the huge amount of damage he had done to the forests. He was exhausted beyond belief as well, but for a different reason—now, what remained of his clay was working rigorously to keep his life burning, leaving him unable to expend any energy for much else. Unable to even form clothing, he must have looked quite shabby.

In all honesty, their current condition being as it were, both of them were capable of moving only once more.

"Only one chance each between the two of us," spoke the demigod king, staring at his opponent. "With no means of defense, it'll result in naught but two foolish corpses."

The clay puppet returned his look with that of confusion. He never did understand the intention behind those words. Did he want to suggest a tie, or did he wish to make it so that there was only one corpse?

"Haha…"

Nevertheless, it seemed as though Gilgamesh had found his answer.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Bursting into laughter all of a sudden, he made his final move—letting himself fall backwards onto his back.

"Hahaha… AHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!"

Enkidu did likewise, and let himself fall in imitation, almost like a mirror. Joining the man in his delight, he too laughed.

Like two madmen, at the brink of death without even realizing it, they laughed out.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH !"

"HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHH AAHA!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHH!"

"HAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Their joyous voices echoing into the heavens above, some may think it strange that these two men could get along so well, especially since one was a man whom existed above humanity, and the other was a man whom existed below it. Indeed, they started off with nothing but sheer contempt for the other, lacking anything that could help them understand the other, so for the both of them to have wasted their final move upon laughing instead of killing the other, it may appear uncharacteristic.

However, this was not true, for in their legendary battle they learned all there was to know about the other. Every detail, every memory, every desire, all communicated through the constant killing strikes and blows they threw. Such was this that the reason for the battle in the first place was but a distant memory, and for them, it felt as though years instead of days had passed.

Once the delirious fits laughter had subsided, without much thought, Enkidu asked a meaningless question;

"Do you not regret the treasures you have spent?"

A reply did not come for a little while. But then, with his voice bright, Gilgamesh replied;

"Why, if it's somebody I should use it on, then it's not unthinkable to do him the favor."

* * *

The sun was shining down brightly upon the streets of Uruk-Haven.

It seemed as though there were rumors of the almighty King having encountered a beast 'whose strength rivaled his own' circulating all around the great Sumerian city and even throughout the rest of Mesopotamia, being reported by many people who had suffered heavy injuries during the onslaught. They claimed many things—that forests had been wiped out, that mountains had been flattened, and that the traces of this were everywhere. They claimed that this battle would never end. And since there had been a mysterious absence of the king for the past week or so, as well as the fact that a wave of destruction was moving around the country, there was no reason _not_ to believe in these strange yet extremely relieving tales.

However, a new rumor was starting to circulate. It was now being said that the King of Uruk had successfully defeated his nemesis and planned on making a quick return.

Over the horizon, a golden cart began to appear, pulled by powerful oxen. It was first noticed by sentries on top of the city wall, and as it grew ever closer with increasing speed, they alerted the people and told them to gather around the entrance. When it was close enough, they could see that it had a man clad in golden armor sitting patiently in it, looking not displeased as he usually would but actually _satisfied_. Having never seen such an expression on his face, they felt overwhelmed by his magnificence and decided to stand down without even attempting to confirm it.

The townspeople, however, were not quite as impressed. They possessed mixed feelings about his return, and in fact many had originally wanted him to perish in battle with the beast, then replace him with a much fairer king. Having spent a week living in luxury without his presence, some were even bringing along the largest planks of wood they could find in a ridiculous attempt to barricade the entrance. Not that they even came close, as the soldiers stopped them. Still, none were very eager to start bowing down to him again.

The cart came into view of the entrance, and as it did, the radiant figure of the King could be seen by all. This change in attitude caused even the soldiers to have doubts, and many were beginning to consider assaulting him as soon as he arrived. Deep in their hearts, they knew that none of them stood a chance even when combined, but it was defying his rule that counted.

Finally, the oxen—large and well-fed—came to a stop when they passed the wall. Many of the people gathered around the contraption, trying their best to take a peek, but were prevented from immediately hurdling it by the soldiers. There were those that were trying to stand upon crates, and those that were even climbing on top of roofs just so they could see. There was also a lot of muttering, curses and remarks, spreading throughout them. With total of fifty thousand people in one location, it was getting extremely difficult to control the populace, but they somehow managed to do it with the aid of local magicians. Even then, it was getting to be far too much.

Then King Gilgamesh stood up, and there was silence.

He observed his surroundings.

**"Hmph. I come back from a long and momentous battle only to find my people in disgraceful rags, my city in utter disarray, and no celebration prepared for my inevitable return! What is the meaning of this?!"**

None dared to reply, and there was only silence. All were scared. All were afraid. The power of his words put a heavy weight in the air, such that it threatened to crush them all should any of them disobey him.

Then a voice yelled out from the audience, "Why should we celebrate your return?!"

Triggering a chain reaction, others began to cry out as well against him, opening up their hearts after having kept in for so long. _"Your actions are unforgivable!"_ _"This city is our home too!"_ _"We are NOT trash!"_ _"Why should we listen to you?!" "Give us the freedom we deserve!" "Stop doing only what you want!" "Even the king needs his limits!" "You're a tyrant and a monster!" "You should have died by that beast's hands!"_ With endless insults being thrown at King Gilgamesh one after another, his mentality did not collapse in regret as what might have happened to a weaker-willed person. Instead, he was only getting more and more infuriated by the second, his anger rising by the second. It was a miracle that he hadn't already snapped on the spot and exterminated them all with his sheer power. The winds were blowing harder, the sky darkening, and his eyes becoming bloodshot as he struggled to remain in his position, his hands moving to his Gate Babylon to take out the few treasures he collected along the way, stimulating the crowd even further as he pulled out a blade, and there was no way at this point that anyone would be able to prevent the bloodshed that was to follow—

Suddenly, it all came to a halt as another man stood up from the cart, having been sleeping inside of it. He still looked a little sleepy, and yawned childishly as he stretched out his arms and looked around his surroundings.

"Gilgamesh, are we there yet~?"

As they saw the breathtaking appearance of his body—no, even if they couldn't, the mere aura of his presence had all the tens of thousands of people freeze at once!

His soft, perfect skin radiated out such warmth that it warmed up even the coldest of hearts, such fragrance that it went through even the thickest of humans, and such androgynous purity that both male and female alike—even the children whom had yet to experience such feelings and the elderly whom had believed themselves to be past that stage—were dazzled by it. As he was, he was simultaneously wild and civil, powerful and innocent, childish and enigmatic, beautiful and handsome, and in that one single moment of history, a word had to be invented specifically to describe his presence—while there lacks an English translation of that word to this day, it is closest in meaning to _'trippendicular'_, referring to literally-impossible beauty that couldn't possibly exist in this physical world. Surely, only Aruru the goddess of creation herself could have created such a fine being, and surely, she had put her very best efforts into making him.

Three seconds passed by in silence, and if it progressed any longer, the King was quite sure that mass heart failure would occur.

"Enkidu," Gilgamesh began, turning away in embarrassment, "please put some clothes on."

* * *

From the day their epic battle came to a conclusion, they remained side by side, never leaving the other. While Enkidu remained as an advisor in the kingdom, dwelling the anger of the people and reasoning with the King of Uruk about many of his improper laws, successfully improving the quality of life for all citizens and acting as a moral compass, Gilgamesh spent his time collecting even more treasure while taking his new friend to the many natural treasures of the world that could not be put into his Gate of Babylon, amazing him each and every time without fail.

His hoarding tendencies had remained the same as ever, but it pleased Enkidu to know that he had finally learned to make use of his treasures every so often. Not much of an accomplishment, of course, but one nevertheless. At one point while traveling, Gilgamesh encountered a brutal monster that was raiding livestock, and struck it down from afar using his treasury without a second thought. Though, once the deed was done, he sighed a little and turned to his friend as something occurred to him.

"My treasury has been in disarray ever since you came," the King remarked, rolling his eyes. "To think of using my treasures as projectiles… You've certainly given me a harebrained habit."

The days flew by quickly, and the duo enjoyed themselves greatly as they continued to move on with their lives. Now that he was not alone, the King found it much easier to have fun, and he discovered great amusement in showing to Enkidu more of the pleasures of the world, his reactions being priceless. The people also lived much happier, and they had recently begun to cheer and willingly bow down every time the two men were in sight.

After all, since the two greatest beings in the world were together, there was nothing that could stop them.

At least, that was what they believed.

"Enkidu," Gilgamesh called one day, using a rare serious tone that the clay man hadn't heard him use before.

Standing on the walls of Uruk, his gaze looked as if it were watching something far away. For once, he wasn't boasting or laughing or scoffing or shouting about something, but actually in deep thought.

"I have recently discovered that there are still many people in the world whom do not know my name, and those who do are not convinced of my power. That is why I have decided to embark on a rigorous quest to defeat a powerful monster, one that nobody has ever dared to challenge. From what I have heard, it shall definitely prove to be extremely difficult, which is why I want you to come with me."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Enkidu replied in confusion, trying to think about possible candidates. "Dragons, spirits, huge scorpions, it doesn't matter what they are. If they're just ordinary monsters, then they can be easily beaten by our divine powers—" But then, as if coming to a realization, he looked straight at his friend with a shocked expression. "No! That is beyond foolhardly! You can't possibly mean—"

"Yes. It is true."

With an uncertain look in his eyes, for the very first time not being so sure of himself, the golden-haired Gilgamesh took a deep breath before continuing.

"We shall invade the divine sanctuary of the gods, the Cedar Forest, and slay its guardian—**the demigod ogre-demon ****_Humbaba_**."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

For those of you who are disappointed by the length, this is only a transitional chapter~

You know, I'm reading Humbaba's part on the tablets, and I can't help but admit that I like the idea it presents. Since this was originally supposed to be a two-shot, the first two parts focus incredibly on the fact that these two men are the strongest in the world. But for that to be _challenged_? But for a monster so feared that the very prospect of facing it scares even Gilgamesh and Enkidu? Something tells me I'm going to enjoy writing about that.

Oh, and ENKIDU NEKIDDU FANSERVICE. Not that you can actually see it, but you can imagine it if you want. Guaranteed to turn men gay and women lesbian.


End file.
